The Pongo Pygmaeus or also known as Bornean Orangutan is one of the only group of great apes that are native in Asia. Orangutan is a word from the Malay language meaning person of the forest. On average the weight of a female Bornean Orangutan ranges between 40 to 50 kilograms. However, male ranges from 60 to 90 kilograms which is approximately double the size of a female. A healthy Bornean Orangutan has a life span of about 35 to 40 years but on the other hand if they are taken cared by humans they can live up to 60 years old. Please refer to Diagram 1 for the labelled diagram
Since today the estimated population of the Bornean Orangutan is about 12000 to 15000 but each year the amount decreases. One day they will become extinct as they are classified as one of the endangered animals if nothing is done to protect them.
This report is based on the Bornean Orangutan and it will outline the following information:
Habitat
Structural adaptations
Behavioural adaptations
Physiological adaptation
Scientific Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Primates
Family
Hominidae
Subfamily
Ponginae
Genus
Pongo
Species
P.pygmaeus
Habitat
Bornean Orangutans are usually located in the South East of Asia but in most areas they have become extinct. Today the most common areas that Bornean Orangutans can be found are only in the islands if Borneo. Areas such as Borneo which they are located in the west, east, and central Kalimantan have a large population distribution of Bornean and Sumatra Orangutan. There is also a large population distribution in Malaysian Borneo such as Sarawak and Sabah. Please refer to Figure 1 Bornean Orangutans live in these areas because different types of forests that they favour can be found. The different types of forests include tropical montainous regions, lowland dipterocarps, swamps and heaths that are found to be suitable for their lifestyle. However, a large amount of the population is located in the swamp forests.
There are also other places where Bornean Orangutans live but the population is not as large. Bornean Orangutans live in areas with altitudes less than 800 meters above sea level but they can still be found in habitats at 1200 meters. The areas that they live in have an average temperature of around 23 degrees Celsius which does not vary a lot overtime. The forests which Bornean Orangutans are located in have a long period of daylight which is about 12 hours a day. Across the whole year it has an annual rainfall between 1.5 to 10 meters which will bring lots of food and vegetation for them. Please refer to Figure 2 Other animals live in the same environment because they depend on the rainfall just like the Siberian Tiger. The reason for this is because they are just like the Bornean Orangutans that need water in order for them to survive.
Bornean Orangutans are not often seen on the ground because they normally hide in the thick trees from other animals. They live in trees that are more than 100 meters above the ground or ones that are quite close to the ground. This varies because Bornean Orangutans choose their own territory that provides them enough food and protection from predators. The most common vegetation that is found in their habitat are canopies and they are used for helping them in hiding away from their predators. These canopies that are found in their habitat provide branches and sticks for them to hang on as they move around the forest.
Not all of them live in the same area, some will live together but on different trees and height. They do not always stay in one place because they migrate around their territory searching for their needs such as food. They search for different kinds of fruit that are found on the trees. Bornean Orangutans live around their food and each season different types of fruit is offered so they migrate around the area. However, they will still migrate to another area to prevent eating all the vegetation. The Bornean Orangutan does not just love eating the fruits off the trees it can also provide them water whenever they need it. They get water from consuming leaves, trees, and shoots which water is provided for them easily without looking for it.
Adaptation
Behavioural Adaptation One
Bornean Orangutans are not often seen in groups because they live alone meaning that they are primarily solitary. However, female Bornean Orangutans are considered not to be solitary because they tend to socialize more with others compared to a male. Being solitary isn't as bad as it sounds it has helped them in getting enough food for each of them to survive and it is a process of reproduction. Female Bornean Orangutans are less solitary as they live with their offsprings or mothers. Offsprings cannot survive on their own such as protecting themselves from predators. Predators have become a huge environmental pressure because offsprings have to stay within their mother's territory to learn how to protect themselves.
The mother will stay with the offspring until they are between 5 and 7 years old. After the offspring grows up they will still stay in an area close to their mother. The male does not live with other males because if their territory is close to each other they will become aggressive against each other. Because of this female Bornean Orangutans will often be seen together in a cluster and there would be an adult male who chooses whom to mate. An adult male is present because their territory is quite close to female Bornean Orangutans who attract him to be sexually responsive. The male will move to other areas when the female is pregnant because the female will not be interested in mating for several years after giving birth.
Behavioural Adaptation Two
Bornean Orangutans are just like humans, they have their own home which are called nest that they construct themselves. Building their own nest isn't as easy as it seems it can take them about 3 hours to build one. Each night before sunset they will build a nest up in the trees so that their predators cannot catch them or harm them in any sort of way and it is near their food source. The sun which is the environmental pressure has given rise to this adaptation. The reason for this is because they are active animals during the day and they go to bed when the sunsets around 7 at night. This means that they must build their nest before sunset so that they can sleep in it.
They are so high that they are often only seen 18 to 28 meters above the ground. These nests are so unique because they are built by weaving and bending different sorts of branches. This technique of building a nest is just like the Short-nosed Indian Fruit Bat. Weaving and bending branches already makes their nest stable but to be sure they test it by swinging on it. This ensures that it can hold their weight and strength for up to 14 hours after they leave their nest to build another one at a different location.
Structural Adaptation One
Looking at a Bornean Orangutan we can immediately see what their structural adaptation is but it makes us question them. Their whole body is covered with a large amount of dark coloured hair but they live in warm climates which makes us question them. The thick hair that they have actually protects them from the sun or we can say it prevents them from getting sunburnt. The hair also helps them to camouflage in the forest as the hair colour blends into the environment. If they absorb too much sunlight it can harm their body in many ways, which is why they have their hair to protect them from the sun rays. The sun has gotten hotter during these centuries which has given and still is giving rise to this adaptation.
Structural Adaptation Two
Another structural adaptation that has helped the Bornean Orangutan in surviving is their teeth. Their teeth are so special that it is twice the size of an average human's tooth and it can bite through hard objects. They have two canines that are so strong that it can tear apart anything that you think of such as a coconut. The teeth that they have are all used for grinding, tearing, and opening hard fruit which has helped the Bornean Orangutan. All together an average Bornean Orangutans regardless of their gender has 32 teeth in total just like a Giraffe. If they didn't have strong teeth or any teeth at all it would have limited their food variety and they would not have become as strong as they should be. As the fruit changes throughout the years some of them have become harder to eat which have led the Bornean Orangutans develop teeth that are so strong and large. The environment such as the weather has changed the food that they eat which has given a rise in this adaptation.
Physiological Adaptation One
One of the obvious physiological adaptation for a Bornean Orangutan is that they are warm blooded. It has helped them in maintaining their body temperature by cooling down or producing more body heat. By doing so they control their metabolic rate for instance if the temperature outside decreases the metabolic rate will increase. The hotter the sun gets it makes the Bornean Orangutan sweat more. Sweating is a process in controlling their metabolic rate and if they couldn't control their metabolic rate they would over heat or suffocate which has led to the rise of this adaptation. Other ways that they use to control their body temperature is wetting themselves or hiding under trees for shade. Bornean Orangutans living in forests increases the chance of overheating. The sun gets hotter and hotter every year because of global warming and it is the main pressure that is given to rise this adaptation.
Ancestor: Sivapithecus
Future: Valde Humanus
General Information
The Pongo Pygmaeus or also known as Bornean Orangutan is one of the only group of great apes that are native in Asia. Orangutan is a word from the Malay language meaning person of the forest. On average the weight of a female Bornean Orangutan ranges between 40 to 50 kilograms. However, male ranges from 60 to 90 kilograms which is approximately double the size of a female. A healthy Bornean Orangutan has a life span of about 35 to 40 years but on the other hand if they are taken cared by humans they can live up to 60 years old. Please refer to Diagram 1 for the labelled diagramSince today the estimated population of the Bornean Orangutan is about 12000 to 15000 but each year the amount decreases. One day they will become extinct as they are classified as one of the endangered animals if nothing is done to protect them.
This report is based on the Bornean Orangutan and it will outline the following information:
Scientific Classification
Habitat
Bornean Orangutans are usually located in the South East of Asia but in most areas they have become extinct. Today the most common areas that Bornean Orangutans can be found are only in the islands if Borneo. Areas such as Borneo which they are located in the west, east, and central Kalimantan have a large population distribution of Bornean and Sumatra Orangutan. There is also a large population distribution in Malaysian Borneo such as Sarawak and Sabah. Please refer to Figure 1 Bornean Orangutans live in these areas because different types of forests that they favour can be found. The different types of forests include tropical montainous regions, lowland dipterocarps, swamps and heaths that are found to be suitable for their lifestyle. However, a large amount of the population is located in the swamp forests.There are also other places where Bornean Orangutans live but the population is not as large. Bornean Orangutans live in areas with altitudes less than 800 meters above sea level but they can still be found in habitats at 1200 meters. The areas that they live in have an average temperature of around 23 degrees Celsius which does not vary a lot overtime. The forests which Bornean Orangutans are located in have a long period of daylight which is about 12 hours a day. Across the whole year it has an annual rainfall between 1.5 to 10 meters which will bring lots of food and vegetation for them. Please refer to Figure 2 Other animals live in the same environment because they depend on the rainfall just like the Siberian Tiger. The reason for this is because they are just like the Bornean Orangutans that need water in order for them to survive.
Bornean Orangutans are not often seen on the ground because they normally hide in the thick trees from other animals. They live in trees that are more than 100 meters above the ground or ones that are quite close to the ground. This varies because Bornean Orangutans choose their own territory that provides them enough food and protection from predators. The most common vegetation that is found in their habitat are canopies and they are used for helping them in hiding away from their predators. These canopies that are found in their habitat provide branches and sticks for them to hang on as they move around the forest.
Not all of them live in the same area, some will live together but on different trees and height. They do not always stay in one place because they migrate around their territory searching for their needs such as food. They search for different kinds of fruit that are found on the trees. Bornean Orangutans live around their food and each season different types of fruit is offered so they migrate around the area. However, they will still migrate to another area to prevent eating all the vegetation. The Bornean Orangutan does not just love eating the fruits off the trees it can also provide them water whenever they need it. They get water from consuming leaves, trees, and shoots which water is provided for them easily without looking for it.
Behavioural Adaptation One
Bornean Orangutans are not often seen in groups because they live alone meaning thatThe mother will stay with the offspring until they are between 5 and 7 years old. After the offspring grows up they will still stay in an area close to their mother. The male does not live with other males because if their territory is close to each other they will become aggressive against each other. Because of this female Bornean Orangutans will often be seen together in a cluster and there would be an adult male who chooses whom to mate. An adult male is present because their territory is quite close to female Bornean Orangutans who attract him to be sexually responsive. The male will move to other areas when the female is pregnant because the female will not be interested in mating for several years after giving birth.
Behavioural Adaptation Two
Bornean Orangutans are just like humans, they have their own home which are called nest that they construct themselves. Building their own nest isn't as easy as it seems it can take them about 3 hours to build one. Each night before sunset they will build a nest up in the trees so that their predators cannot catch them or harm them in any sort of way and it is near their food source. The sun which is theThey are so high that they are often only seen 18 to 28 meters above the ground. These nests are so unique because they are built by weaving and bending different sorts of branches. This technique of building a nest is just like the Short-nosed Indian Fruit Bat. Weaving and bending branches already makes their nest stable but to be sure they test it by swinging on it. This ensures that it can hold their weight and strength for up to 14 hours after they leave their nest to build another one at a different location.
Structural Adaptation One
Looking at a Bornean Orangutan we can immediately see what their structural adaptation is but it makes us question them. Their whole body is covered with a large amount of dark coloured hair but they live in warm climates which makes us question them. The thick hair that they have actually protects them from the sun or we can say it prevents them from getting sunburnt. The hair also helps them to camouflage in the forest as the hair colour blends into the environment. If they absorb too much sunlight it can harm their body in many ways, which is why they have their hair to protect them from the sun rays. The sun has gotten hotter during these centuries which has given and still is giving rise to this adaptation.Structural Adaptation Two
Another structural adaptation that has helped the Bornean Orangutan in surviving is their teeth. Their teeth are so special that it is twice the size of an average human's tooth and it can bite through hard objects. They have two canines that are so strong that it can tear apart anything that you think of such as a coconut. The teeth that they have are all used for grinding, tearing, and opening hard fruit which has helped the Bornean Orangutan. All together an average Bornean Orangutans regardless of their gender has 32 teeth in total just like a Giraffe. If they didn't have strong teeth or any teeth at all it would have limited their food variety and they would not have become as strong as they should be. As the fruit changes throughout the years some of them have become harder to eat which have led the Bornean Orangutans develop teeth that are so strong and large. The environment such as the weather has changed the food that they eat which has given a rise in this adaptation.Physiological Adaptation One
One of the obvious physiological adaptation for a Bornean Orangutan is that they are warm blooded. It has helped them in maintaining their body temperature by cooling down or producing more body heat. By doing so they control their metabolic rate for instance if the temperature outside decreases the metabolic rate will increase. The hotter the sun gets it makes the Bornean Orangutan sweat more. Sweating is a process in controlling their metabolic rate and if they couldn't control their metabolic rate they would over heat or suffocate which has led to the rise of this adaptation. Other ways that they use to control their body temperature is wetting themselves or hiding under trees for shade. Bornean Orangutans living in forests increases the chance of overheating. The sun gets hotter and hotter every year because of global warming and it is the main pressure that is given to rise this adaptation.Ancestor: Sivapithecus
Future: Valde Humanus
References / Bibliography
Bornean Orangutan . (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2010, from BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/species/Bornean_Orangutan
Licensors, N. I. (2010). Bornean Orangutan. Retrieved July 13, 2010, from Great Apes and Humans: http://animals.jrank.org/pages/3027/Great-Apes-Humans-Hominidae.html
Nguyen, C. (n.d.). Orangutans. Retrieved July 14, 2010, from Whozoo:
http://www.whozoo.org/students/chrngu/orangs.htm
Orangutan. (2008). Retrieved July 14, 2010, from Honoluluzoo:
http://www.honoluluzoo.org/orangutan.htm
Orangutans Adaptation. (2010, July 25). Retrieved July 14, 2010, from Seaworld:
http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/orangutan/adaptations.htm